Recently, there has been a proliferation of give-away caps (otherwise known as "gimme caps"). These caps are generally inexpensive caps which include a business logo prominently displayed thereon. It is quite common for persons to accumulate a large number of these caps. These caps are often accumulated so as to form a personal collection of caps. Often, those who collect such caps desire to prominently display their collection within their home. These caps generally take up a large amount of room and are generally considered to be unsuitable for vertical storage.
Various apparatus have been constructed in the past for the storage of hats. U.S. Pat. No. 960,592, issued on Jun. 7, 1910, to G. Smith, Jr., describes a hat hanger in which a clip is provided on a vertical panel for receiving the rim of the hat. An abutment surface is provided at the lower part of the vertical panel so as to position the hat against the vertical panel. U.S. Pat. No. 1,116,706, issued on Nov. 10, 1914, to J. F. Hutt shows another type of hat rack in which a bent wire is provided in a configuration suitable for supporting the crown of a hat and supporting the edge of the hat brim. U.S. Pat. No. 1,608,497, issued on Nov. 30, 1926, to C. Fischer shows a horizontal arrangement for receiving and storing hats and caps in which each of the caps is supported along the crown of the hat. U.S. Pat. No. 1,799,395, issued on Apr. 7, 1931, to G. G. Shoer provides a combined coat and hat hook for supporting a hat against the surface. U.S. Pat. No. 2,461,178, issued on Feb. 8, 1949, to F. A. Reinke shows a hat and tie holder in which a bar is suitably bent so as to receive the crown of hats and support a plurality of the hats in a horizontal arrangement. U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,487, issued on Jan. 10, 1950, to E. W. Pfeil provides a vertical storage system for hats. Each of the hats is supported in a frame attached to a vertical panel. U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,895, issued on Mar. 5, 1957, provides a hat support having a curved surface for receiving the brim and the crown of a hat. U.S. Pat. No. 2,626,712, issued on Jan. 27, 1953, to W. H. Frusch discloses a hat hanger having an attachment for connection to an external surface and a bent wire for receiving a crown of a hat. U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,081, issued on Jun. 5, 1973, to F. R. James shows a device for holding, storing, and maintaining the shape of a western hat.
None of these prior art devices is particularly adapted for receiving the "gimme caps". Also, these prior art devices are not capable of storing a plurality of such caps in a vertical configuration. These devices are not suitable for displaying the logo of such caps outwardly therefrom. These prior art devices also have the tendency to deform the hat or cap during storage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cap rack which is capable of storing a plurality of caps in a vertical configuration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cap rack which maintains the shape of the cap and which maintains the cap in a natural position.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cap rack which allows for the display of logos on the front of the cap.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cap rack which is easy to manufacture, simple to use, easy to install, and relatively inexpensive.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.